I mix and match as needed. This coming year for grammar I'm using one that teaches how to do the grammar rules and one that uses editing.

Since both of the math curriculums are vastly different in the material they cover in a year, I'm not sure how you'd combine them. I'd use Khan to visually explain things, since you can look up specific trouble spots. Math U See you'd have to have multiple years to mix and match the areas. I've not used the lower levels of Saxon though so I'm not positive.

Of course. For math we're using Life of Fred, Teaching Textbooks, a Spectrum 7th grade test prep book (plus other various books for different ways of explaining a concept he has trouble with). For English, we're using Daily Sparks, Painless Grammar, Simple Grammar, Wordsmith Apprentice (I can go on and on). He has 2 Spanish programs and he does an online Spanish game site.

In my case I have a lot of different programs because ds is my 3rd homeschooler and well, can't let anything go to waste, right? Different programs, to me, can only reinforce the information. And my ds enjoys academics more when we switch things up every few weeks. You can use curricula any way you like. It's all fine.

We combine as needed. Our core curriculum is Time4Learning and my daughter loves it, but there are times when there is a topic that she wants to know more about, or she needs to be taught with a different approach. We have combined Time4Learning and Life of Fred to give my daughter two different perspectives in pre-algebra. Because she has ADHD some days go better with one curriculum, and other days she prefers a different one.

We also use Vocabulary and Spelling City to supplement the LA course in her core curriculum. Sometimes changing the way something is done, like playing an education game, instead of approaching from a strictly "lesson" approach just makes the learning easier and fun.

I would say don't be afraid to mix and match as needed, being able to customize is one of the great benefits of homeschooling!

They are both entering first grade and are on (mostly) the same level so I'm trying to find a way to use Saxon and Math U See together so that we can have math as a group instead of each of them having separate math lessons from me.

Quoting Bluerose1482:

What are you trying to achieve by combining them?

If each child is doing well with his own program, I wouldn't change anything.

I haven't actually used either Saxon or Math U See yet. I've just done a ton of research relating to them and from what I can tell the Math U See lessons would really help one child understand concepts that are currently just not clicking with her yet and Saxon I think would help the other child and interest her more.

What I think I might do is compare all the lesson topics, use Saxon as a spine and then plug in the Math U See lessons as the topics appear in Saxon...

It would be easier to figure this out if I had both programs but I'm not able to purchase anything for another month or so. lol =)

Quoting jen2150: I have but only specific ones. I will just pick what I like from each one. Some curriculum is easier than others to do that. Are there parts to like better from each one?

I see from another response that you haven't. So, here's what I would do. Buy a copy of Saxon. My daughter uses it and loves it. However, she's finishing 2nd going to 3rd and is using the Math 54. Anyway, I would buy saxon and some manipulatives like base ten blocks, cuisenaire rods and so forth. I'd present the dry lesson from Saxon, and then show a second 'visual' way to do it. Allow free access to manipuatives, even during testing. Then you have one Math lesson that is meeting the needs of both children.

The best things about this is that both child will be one the same concept and will have covered the same concepts. So if you wanted to do a math enrichment project and have them work as a team or individually, they'd be able to do the same project at the same time.

Quoting BellaRose17:

We actually haven't started yet :) We are brand new homeschoolers.

They are both entering first grade and are on (mostly) the same level so I'm trying to find a way to use Saxon and Math U See together so that we can have math as a group instead of each of them having separate math lessons from me.

Quoting Bluerose1482:

What are you trying to achieve by combining them?

If each child is doing well with his own program, I wouldn't change anything.

I used Saxon for one of my K, and then switched to Horizon for the other one doing K then following year, and found the Horizon more fun in general. As far as doing two separate maths.... .my kids are a year apart in school, and with the different grade levels, it just means two separate one on one sessions (I don't mind...just takes time). If you did Math U See with one 1st grader and Saxon with the other....they most likely teach some things in a different order (adding, telling time etc.) so it would mean teaching two separate lessons. If you combine the kids for most other subjects... It would just mean that you would need to spend one on one time with each of them for both reading and for math. (Not a big deal...but takes more time etc.) If it were me, I would just try Math U See for both kids....so I could teach them together. (I would think a lot of kids at that age would love the hands on aspect of Math U See......... and learn well from it. For first grade math it might be fairly easy to think of visual things to add on your own if for some reason it wasn't clicking with one of the kids. You could always try them together with it and see how it goes.....then supplement with something (like Saxon) later if you felt it was needed. I would think Saxon might not be the best for the hands on learner as you said.... but I wouldn't spend the money on both programs separately I would just do the Math U See then.

Quoting BellaRose17:

We actually haven't started yet :) We are brand new homeschoolers.

They are both entering first grade and are on (mostly) the same level so I'm trying to find a way to use Saxon and Math U See together so that we can have math as a group instead of each of them having separate math lessons from me.

Quoting Bluerose1482:

What are you trying to achieve by combining them?

If each child is doing well with his own program, I wouldn't change anything.

Yes, I've done this with EPGY (online program out of Stanford) and Abeka. In my opinion, this works best not when the child does better with one than the other, but when the weaknesses and strengths of the two curricula balance each other. For example, EPGY, IMO, didn't have enough "practice" problems and approached everything in a very theoretical way. Abeka was drill, drill, drill, practice, and drill. Totally different approaches -- both of which were necessary to get my son up to a high level in Math. I chose one as the "main" curriculum (EPGY) and then used the exercises in Abeka as the back up, or, if the material had already been covered, we worked through the Abeka book in order since it was "review." Does that make sense? However, I'd really think about whether this will be the best approach for your children if you are expecting them to "do" both. I'd think that perhaps you'd just want each one to do the program that was best for their learning style.